DeSantis urging COVID investigation puts Fauci on defensive: 'What's the problem with vaccines?'

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Fauci attacks DeSantis: What’s the problem with vaccines?

Dr. Fauci attacked the Florida governor after Ron DeSantis announced the Florida Supreme Court would convene a grand jury on the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis’, R-Fla., after the governor called for the state Supreme Court to convene a grand jury to probe any "wrongdoing" related to the coronavirus vaccine. 

DeSantis made his announcement on Tuesday, explaining on "The Ingraham Angle" his desire to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 vaccines as far-left politicians sought to mandate them throughout the country. 

"At the end of the day, what we're looking for is to provide truth, to provide accurate data, and provide accurate analysis," DeSantis said. 

Many media pundits quickly attacked DeSantis’ Florida Supreme Court request, including Fauci who defended the vaccine on CNN’s "At this Hour with Kate Bolduan" on Wednesday.

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida delivers remarks during the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022.  (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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"I don’t have a clue, Kate, what he’s asking for. I mean, we have a vaccine that unequivocally is highly effective and safe, and has saved literally millions of lives. The Commonwealth Fund has come out with a report just this past week, that vaccinations that have been administered over this period of time, this last year and a half to two years, has saved 3.2 million lives, 18 million hospitalizations, and approximately $1 trillion in costs. So what’s the problem with vaccines? I mean, vaccines are lifesaving. So quite frankly, Kate, I’m not sure what — what they’re trying to do down there," Fauci said.

Although Fauci boasted about the efficacy of the vaccines on CNN, he admitted in July on Fox News’ "Your World" that the vaccines do not protect "overly well" against infection. 

Despite this, Fauci argued that the vaccine has been politicized and called for unity.

Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared on CNN's "At This Hour with Kate Bolduan" on Wednesday. (CNN)

"It has been politicized. And it has been politicized in a way that has actually cost lives. Because if people don’t get vaccinated, which unequivocally is lifesaving, because of political ideology, or because of misinformation and disinformation, that costs us lives. And we just got to get the American public regardless of whether you lean left, you lean right, it doesn’t matter at all," Fauci said. 

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He continued, "We’re all in this together. We’re all human beings. And we’re all susceptible to disease that can kill us. So if ever there was a time in society when we need to pull together and recognize that the common enemy is the virus, not each other, we’ve got to get people to appreciate that."

DeSantis has frequently criticized Fauci over his lockdown policies and flip-flopping over many issues. By 2022, his campaign had begun selling Fauci flip-flops, encouraging the doctor to "pound sand."

DeSantis has frequently attacked Fauci for his support of lockdown policies and mask mandates. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images  |  Photo by GRAEME JENNINGS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

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Fauci is set to retire from his position as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the end of the month.